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Bryan Danielson Was Back Working At AEW World's End [Report]

The American Dragon Bryan Danielson was reportedly backstage working at AEW World's End in Orlando Saturday night.
Rick Ucchino|
Feb 22, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Bryan Danielson appears during AEW Dynamite at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Feb 22, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Bryan Danielson appears during AEW Dynamite at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Bryan Danielson was backstage at AEW World's End Saturday night in Orlando, according to a report from Fightful Select.

Sean Ross Sapp says that the former AEW World Champion was at the Addition Financial Arena and was working in some capacity, although details are few and far between. This marks the second recorded appearance for Danielson in AEW in recent weeks after he attended a public ticketing event for AEW All In Texas.

The American Dragon has not wrestled since he lost to Jon Moxley at AEW WrestleDream, the match that effectively ended his full-time pro wrestling career. And potentially his in-ring career for good.

It was well-documented that Danielson was dealing with a pretty severe neck injury heading into that match with Moxley and it's currently unclear if he'll ever lace up his boots again. Right now, Danielson is taking a wait and see approach as surgery could be an option down the line.

“I’d like to avoid it as much as possible,” Danielson recently told Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture. “The idea to me is that surgery is a last resort, not a first resort. I’m trying some other things first before going under the knife. That’s kind of my plan now."

When asked about the prospects of him wrestling another match, Danielson essentially called it a coin flip.

MORE: AEW Worlds End 2024 Results: Jon Moxley Retains In A Ho-Hum Main Event; Kenny Omega Returns

“If I had to guess right now, I would say it’s 50/50 if I’ll ever [wrestle again], and I’m okay with that. I loved the time I got to spend doing this, but I also love what I’m doing now.”

Danielson had taken on number of backstage responsibilities during his AEW tenure and was said to be someone that Tony Khan trusted from a creative standpoint, amongst numerous other aspects beyond booking wrestling shows.

It appears as though Danielson will continue to be in the mix in AEW, even if it's not as an in-ring competitor.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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